Beth Coulter birdied the first sudden-death playoff hole to pip South Korea’s Ayeon Yang to the Women’s Irish Challenge on home soil on the LET Access Series (LETAS).
Coulter fired a final round two-under 70 to finish on five-under, before hitting a superb second shot on the first playoff hole at the par-5 18th to inside 20 feet. She then two-putted for birdie while Yang made bogey.
In victory, she becomes the first ever Irish golfer to win on their professional debut.
“It’s pretty surreal,” she said. “It probably hasn’t sunk in yet. This was the goal at the start of the week, and to actually do it is pretty crazy. I haven’t won in a while, so it’s kind of nice to get back into the winner’s circle again. To do it on my pro debut is really, really special.”
With two holes to play, Coulter was trailing Yang by one stroke before sinking a crucial 25-footer birdie putt on the 17th hole at Malahide Golf Club to draw loud cheers from about 50 spectators following her.
“The roar was crazy,” she said. “All the Malahide supporters out here and the golf club members and my family. The roar was really, really cool, and to have that support behind me was really nice and gave me a good egg on coming up the 18th.”
Playing in the final group with Yang, both players walked onto the 18th tee tied at five-under. After Yang missed her birdie putt, Coulter had a putt to win in regulation from inside 10 feet but pulled it left.
“I don’t know how I missed it,” she said. “Just kind of hung out there and didn’t really turn. But I knew I hit a good putt, and coming up the playoff hole, it made it a little easier.
“I played the hole basically the exact same. Just my ball got a little bit further up, and it was nice to have a birdie there and close it out.”
Coulter started the day one shot behind overnight leader Michaela Vavrova, who slumped to a six-over 78 to finish tied-16th.
The Kirkistown Castle woman made the turn even-par, mixing two bogeys with an eagle on the par-5 6th, before rolling in birdies on holes 15 and 17 to make the playoff.
About whether she was looking at the leaderboard, Coulter said: “Probably not until the last hole. Obviously, I saw that she (Yang) went to five-under and I was five-under coming after last.
“But I had no idea what the other scores were, and not until I checked my phone, I saw that we were getting into a playoff. So I had absolutely no idea. I think the less you know, the better, personally for me. And yeah, that was really nice.”
Yang made the turn as the solo leader at five-under after mixing four birdies with a bogey, before finishing out regulation play with nine straight pars.
Further down the leaderboard, France’s Lauren Holmey shot a final round 67 to finish one stroke behind the duo at four-under overall.
Denmark’s Cecilie Leth-Nissen (69) and Switzerland’s Tiffany Arafi (71) finished another stroke behind in tied-fourth at three-under.
England’s Billie-Jo Smith (71) came solo sixth at two-under, while Scotland’s Lorna Mcclymont (73) finished solo seventh at one-under.
At even-par in a tie for eighth come the Swedish trio of Moa Svedenskiold (69), Sofie Bringner (71) and Louise Rydqvist (71), French amateur Alice Kong (72) and Czechia’s Tereza Zapletal Kozeluhova (73).
The LETAS season resumes next week in Himmerland, Denmark, at the August 5-7 CSK Steel Women’s Open.
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